Hierarch Severius
Hierarch Severius |
Severius' voice has always resonated with sacred power, and he demonstrates a strength and surety that belies his age. Those who attend him can see and hear the power of unchecked divinity conveyed through his words and deeds. He has vowed to make it his life's work to unite the Menites of western Immoren, to spread the True Faith to all of humanity, and to usher in a new age by hammering the cathedrals of Morrow to rubble and erecting new temples to the Lawgiver.
Basic Info
Severius2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Abilities
- Warcaster - All warcasters come with a stack of standard special rules - most notably being awesome. Click here for a newbie-friendly recap, or click here for the full rules.
- Arcane Power - Once per activation, this model can cast a spell without spending focus points.
- Oracular Vision - Once per turn, when this model is directly hit by an attack, it can immediately spend 1 focus to not suffer a damage roll from the attack.
- Field Marshal [Oracular Vision] - Warbeasts/warjacks in this model's battlegroup gain Oracular Vision.
Weapons
- Staff of Authority - 2" reach, POW 8, P+S 13 melee weapon.
- Damage Type: Magical
- Admonisher - When an enemy model is directly hit by an attack with this weapon, the d3 nearest enemy models within 4˝ of the model hit suffer an unboostable POW 10 magical damage roll. These damage rolls are not considered to have been caused by an attack. Damage resulting from Admonisher is simultaneous.
Spells
COST | RNG | AOE | POW | DUR | OFF | ||
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Arcane Ward
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2 | 6 | - | - | Upkeep | No | |
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +2 DEF and cannot be targeted by enemy spells. Models are not affected while out of formation. | |||||||
Ashes to Ashes
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3 | 8 | (★) | 10 | - | Yes | |
If target model is hit, the d3 nearest enemy models within 4" of it suffer a POW 10 fire damage roll. These additional damage rolls are not considered to have been caused by an attack. Ashes to Ashes damage rolls are simultaneous. | |||||||
Awareness
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2 | SELF | Control | - | Round | No | |
While in the spellcaster's control range, models in its battlegroup ignore cloud effects, forest terrain, and intervening models when determining LOS. Awareness lasts for one round. | |||||||
Creator's Wrath
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2 | SELF | - | - | Upkeep | No | |
The spellcaster gains an additional die on melee attack and melee damage rolls. When making a melee attack, the caster ignores spell effects that add to the target's DEF or ARM. | |||||||
Hex Blast
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3 | 10 | 3 | 13 | - | Yes | |
Enemy upkeep spells and animi on the model/unit directly hit by Hex Blast immediately expire. | |||||||
Rebuke
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2 | 10 | - | - | Upkeep | Yes | |
Target model/unit cannot give orders, receive orders, or make power attacks or special attacks. |
Feat : Fires of Communion
Choose d3+2 enemy non-warcaster/warlock living or undead warrior models in Severius' control range. They take a POW 12 magic damage roll and if they become boxed, centre a 4" AOE on it then RFP them.
The AOE remains in play for one round as a hazardous cloud. Enemy models that walk around in it suffer a POW 12 fire damage roll and continuous fire.
Theme Forces
- Exemplar Interdiction
- Guardians of the Temple
- The Creator's Might. He can start the game with upkeeps in play, and upkeep them for free in turn 1, in this theme.
- The Faithful Masses
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Warriors of the Old Faith
Thoughts on Severius2
Severius2 in a nutshell
The epic version of Severius is a support warcaster who does useful things to protect his battlegroup - and ranged warjacks who can take advantage of Awareness to shoot enemies who thought they were safe. As a rule between his feat and the ability to cast Ashes to Ashes three times in a round he's an offensive spellslinger who can thresh infantry while providing some battlegroup support.
Feat thoughts
His feat burns hard to reach infantry, and is very useful to take out units that are reliant on their leaders (like the Stormblades due to their Electrical Arc rule, or the Revenant Crew and their recursion mechanic). Beside the pinpoint removal of unit leaders and solos, this one is also a hard counter against armies which rely on smoke cover or likewise methods to stay alive, since Sevvy doesn't need LOS to choose the models. Especially useful against Haley3's Gravediggers, the Llaelese Resistance, an infantry-heavy Jarl list, or against casters with Wind Wall or Freezing Mist.
Mind the wording:
- it is not targeting and the damage roll isn't coming from an attack, bypassing a whole lot of restrictions and mechanisms like Vengeance or Battle Driven
- the AoE placement happens upon boxing the model, so Tough, Self Sacrifice, and other abilities happening at the Disabled step may still take away your chance to put down a flaming AoE
Against Battlegroup-heavy lists this feat is less appealing. You can catch important support solos and units (Shepherds, Choir of Menoth members, Beast Handlers, repair crews, etc.) in your feat zone, forcing them to keep the distance from your caster, and often causing them to lag behind the jacks/beasts they're supposed to escort.
Spell thoughts
- Rebuke: Beside the self evident benefits (blunt charges, or stop slams, head-butts for assassinations, and tricks with trample+reposition), do not forget about the orders. Losing "Press Forward" will bereft enemy units of run and charge (and thus, Assault). Also nullifies other orders, like "Cautious Advance", or "Shield Wall".
- Ashes to Ashes - Menoth's answer to Cygnar's Chain Lightning, it fills the same role - chaff infantry killing. Don't be afraid to cast it onto your own - preferably fire immune - jacks to kill jamming models.
- Arcane Ward - Best targets are either slow, sturdy units, like Exemplar Bastions ( who now resist SPD debuff spells, and are a whooping DEF15 against charges) or evasive units, like Daughters of the Flame or Flame Bringers, who are nigh unassailable in melee under this spell.
- Creator's Wrath - Yeah, it sounds cool for an old man to be technically MAT7 Weapon Master with a Blessed staff, but if you're using this, you probably just survived a melee assassination.
- Hex Blast - Beside the raw damage (which is also not bad), the main feature of this spell is the upkeep/animus removal. If in dire need, feel free to shoot your own troops into the back to get rid of a Parasite or Crippling Grasp.
- Awareness - Pretty great against walls of clouds, from Trenchers, or from Jarl's feat, and also lessening the threat from Wurmwood's forest-generating feat. Ranged jacks like the Vanquisher are all happy about it, as terrain in SR2017 scenarios is in abundance. Melee jacks however are not profiting too much, since Sevvy2 lacks any kind of buff to help their movement through rough terrain.
Drawbacks & Downsides
- He's a special order model.
- Severius has some of the worst defensive stats in the game.
- His feat is not that useful against battlegroup-heavy lists
- No mobility, ARM, or damage buff for his army
- Any focus you save for Oracular Vision is focus you spared from elsewhere.
Tricks & Tips
- Remember, Hex Blast-ing one of your own guys strips enemy upkeep from the whole unit.
- Rebuke as a free spell can be better than Ashes to Ashes or Hex Blast.
List Building Advice
Strategy
His main method of winning is simple attrition; he burns infantry and then turns things into a brawl, with the Choir of Menoth giving the protectorate an advantage in attrition (while if facing Protectorate he just burns their Choir). Awareness shuts down shenanigans, once again letting him turn the fight into a brawl.
Theme Thoughts
Support models - Various themes
- Choir of Menoth - Pretty much a no-brainer for any Menoth warcaster.
- Vassal of Menoth - Severius appreciates the extra Focus they can give to his warjacks. Additionally, you can Empower a warjack once its spent all its Focus on offense, letting you still benefit from Oracular Vision. Enliven works pretty well with Severius, as you can take the initial hit, then use Oracular Vision to prevent the damage you'd take from the free strike moving away.
- Hierophant - The extra Focus and spell range is great for a spell-slinger like Severius.
- Wrack - Never say no to free Focus, especially from a one-point model.
- Menite Archon - Besides being a powerful melee beatstick, it increases the damage your opponents models will take from the Fire hazards Severius' feat will create. Additionally, Arcane Ward on one will boost its already substantial defenses higher.
Start the game with upkeeps in play, and have Reposition on your Choir members to keep them in a safe position. You can also take the Avatar of Menoth and Scourge of Heresy, although neither have any particular synergy with Severius 2.
- The Covenant of Menoth - Defend Severius and his battlegroup from stationary and Knockdown.
- Exemplar Warder - A nice Shield Guard you can take as a requisition option. Besides being a solo that will stick around, it increases Severius' DEF in melee, making him a little safer from assassins or when you cast Creator's Might on yourself and go to town.
- Visgoth Juviah Rhoven & Honor Guard - Besides providing two tough Shield Guards, Rhoven can provide Eyeless Sight to a model. Combined with Awareness, it will allow your battlegroup to ignore virtually every visual-based impediment in the game.
Severius 2 greatly appreciates the theme, as Hand of Vengeance provides an offensive buff for his warjacks.
- Allegiant of the Order of the Fist - An independent model with high-DEF. Put Arcane Ward on one to make it even more difficult to remove.
- Initiates of the Order of the Wall - A durable unit of Shield Guards that are immune to most control effects. They're great at protecting Severius and his warjacks from shooting, blocking charge lanes, scoring zones, and dying to trigger Hand of Vengeance. Since they're free with requisition points, you need a compelling reason not to take them.
- Hand of Silence - Bring him around to collect the souls of the infantry to convert into Focus for your warjacks.
A less appealing theme, where you have to give up on the Hierophant, the Wracks and the Book, but it gives you access to three character warjacks (Blood of Martyrs, Eye of Truth, Hand of Vengeance), as well as cheap jamming infantry that don't need warcaster support.
- Reclaimer Gatekeeper - Both Future Sight and Ashen Veil are very useful for Severius and his jacks.
- Hand of Silence - Fulfills the same purpose in Guardians as he does in Faithful Masses.
- Temple Flameguard - Cheap chaff infantry. Arcane Ward makes them annoying to remove for their point cost and unit size.
- Eye of Truth - An expensive warjack, but comes with plenty of tricks. Its high ARM is supplemented with Oracular Vision and Ashen Veil, while Holy Light essentially grants Blessed to all models within 5" of it. Unfortunately, Severius' Field Marshall doesn't stack with its native Oracular Vision, meaning you can only use it once per turn.
Blessed is a nice buff for the battlegroup's melee warjacks. However, as an infantry-focused theme, Severius will do little for it besides Arcane Ward on a unit. It does allow you to take Fire of Salvation with it, however.
- Fire of Salvation - Essentially a souped-up Crusader. For four extra points, you get MAT 8, SPD 5, a 3" move if any infantry were destroyed within 5" of it, and Dispel on hit, as well as Relentless Charge. If you're running Severius in Interdiction, there's really no reason not to take Fire of Salvation.
- Exemplar Warder - Serves the same purpose as it does in Creator's Might.
Battlegroup
He normally runs a fairly large battlegroup to take advantage of Oracluar Vision, and an arc node or two - a Revenger, his personal Revenger Blessing of Vengeance, or a Guardian.
- Combine Awareness with the Redeemer's Skyhammer to ruin your opponent's day... They were already getting their infantry zapped before, but you can add quite a few AoEs right into the heart of the enemy to finish them off.
Other
Trivia
- Released in Warmachine: Legends (2008)
- Severius is one of the few characters who is officially dead in the current storyline.
Other Protectorate models
Video Battle Reports
- Advanced Maneuvers, 2018.04 75 points vs Rask
- Advanced Maneuvers, 2018.04 75 points vs Issyria
- See also Category: Video Battle Reports for more casters with videos.
Rules Clarifications
Rules Clarification : Feat
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Rules Clarification: : Magical Damage (Edit) | |
* The "Damage Type: Magical" is not inherited by "secondary" damage from a weapon. That is, stuff like arcs (Electro Leap) or hazards (Scather). (Infernal Ruling)
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Rules Clarification : Admonisher (Edit)
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Rules Clarification: : Warcaster (Edit) | |||||
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Rules Clarification : Arcane Power - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Oracular Vision (Edit) |
Rules Clarification : Field Marshal (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Fire (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Arcane Ward - None yet. (Edit)
Rules Clarification : Ashes to Ashes (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Awareness and/or Bird's Eye (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Blessed and/or Creator's Wrath (Edit)
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Rules Clarification : Hex Blast (Edit)
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- Protectorate of Menoth
- Model
- Warcaster
- Arcane Power
- Oracular Vision
- Field Marshal
- Oracular Vision Field Marshal
- Magical Damage
- Admonisher
- Arcane Ward
- Ashes to Ashes
- Awareness
- Creator's Wrath
- Hex Blast
- Rebuke
- Magical Damage Feat
- Remove From Play Feat
- Cloud Feat
- Fire Damage Feat
- Continuous Fire Feat
- Exemplar Interdiction
- Guardians of the Temple
- The Creator's Might
- The Faithful Masses
- Video Battle Reports